1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to wall structures, and it more particularly relates to a new and improved wall stud assembly adaptable for use in wall units, such as the type that include panels of drywall material supported by a framed structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wall structures such as partition walls of the type found in offices, libraries, as well as factories and merchandising establishments have become increasingly critical and essential in modern construction. Partition walls are widely used to provide an aesthetic decorative design to the space being partitioned, and further to enable the user to place items on open shelves for display or ready accessibility. Additionally, such partition walls can be employed to define a semi-permanent arrangement of office or other space, suitable to the retail or other business tenant's needs.
For this and other purposes, the conventional wall structures have generally included a series of vertically arranged, spaced-apart wall studs for interconnecting the wallboard panels, and for engaging one or more bracket support structures. The bracket support structures, in turn, retain a plurality of shelf brackets, that are generally used to support several shelves, and generally include perforated wall standards for accomodating the inner tongues of the shelf brackets.
Representative wall unit arrangements of this type are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,394,507 of Doke for "Metallic Structure for Interior Walls to Carry Shelf Brackets and Wallboard"; 3,407,547 of Doke et al. for "Metallic Wall Stud Structure for Supporting Shelf Brackets"; 3,492,766 of Andrews for "Adjustable Stud"; 3,509,669 of Plemens for "Support Structure for Shelving"; 3,714,748 of Costruba for "Support Structure for Shelving"; 3,730,477 of Wavrunek for "Bracket Support Unit for Integral Wall Construction"; 4,581,859 of Doke et al. for "Wall Stud for Simplified Assembly"; and 4,588,156 Doke et al, for "Integral Bracket Support Structure".
While the wall stud and bracket support arrangements described in the latter two patents have addressed and resolved numerous problems in the relevant field, and have presented noticeable improvements over the prior known structures, there still remains a particular need for an improved wall stud assembly which is advantageously configured to satisfy the requirements and expectations of modern construction techniques and financial objectives. In this regard, one of the main concerns of the modern construction industry is the increasing cost of skilled labor, materials, production, storage, transportation, assembly, installation and maintenance. The aforelisted conventional arrangements are not adapted to be assembled by the manufacturer prior to shipment to the construction site. Thus the increased volume of the separate parts results in increased transportation and logistics costs.
Assembling such numerous parts on the construction site entails additional concerns. The installer must assemble a cumbersome unit frame, including a pair of studs, bracket support structures, wall standards, shelf brackets and associated materials, and furthermore, he or she must then struggle with a somewhat disassembled unit. Alternatively, the assembler is forced to seek the assistance of additional labor at the expense of an increased labor cost. Regardless of the selected solution, the installation of the wall unit is not easily, readily nor conveniently achieved.
The above installation problems are compounded further by the numerous, and almost inevitable, mishaps on the construction site. One such frequently encountered mishap is the damage caused by an accidental forklift impact on the wall structure. Whereupon, the components of the wall stud structure tend to dissociate, thus forcing the installer to endure again the undue inconvenience of re-assembling the parts. Moreover, the heavy metallic structure of the wall frame, and the awkward installation problems associated therewith, render the task of aligning the frame properly and accurately, a very difficult objective to attain.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved stud assembly which is compatible with the needs of contemporary construction and wall unit designs. The stud assembly should offer economy, ease and convenience of manufacture, assembly, packaging, storage, transportation, installation and maintenance. The stud assembly should further have a sturdy construction, and it should allow for deformation in the frame structure, resulting from variances in the ambient temperature.